Best Wine Shop That's Also a Bar (2013)

A bright spot on an otherwise sleepy stretch of Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, Colorado Wine Company has long stood out for its cheeky, unpretentious approach to the guzzling of the grape. (The annual white-trash wine tasting, which pairs things like tater tots and pinot noir, is always a sellout.) But since moving into new, cozier digs last November, it's become something else: a Cheers-like neighborhood bar in a neighborhood that desperately needed one. Most nights of the week — especially Fridays, when they pour a five-wine flight for a mere $15 — you can find a convivial mix of locals and cork dorks from all over town crowding around the rough-hewn hunk of reclaimed wood that serves as both bar and checkout counter. There's a rotating selection of wines by the glass and six beers on tap — but pop a bottle to share with your newfound bar buddies. Corkage is only five bucks — except Wednesdays, when it's free. 2305 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock. (323) 478-1985, cowineco.com. —Andy Hermann